How to Go to Japan for Vacation

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No matter where you are in the world, traveling to Japan for a vacation should pose little difficulty. Although the country is an archipelago, Japan is also one of the world's largest and most vibrant economies, with a thoroughly modern infrastructure and a plethora of transportation links with the rest of the world. If you are on your way to a Japanese vacation from America, you will probably arrive at one of three major cities. If you are connecting through or starting from somewhere in Asia, you could arrive in any of several Japanese cities.

Step 1

Fly from the United States to one of Japan's three largest international airports: Narita (NRT) in Tokyo, Kansai (KIX) in Osaka or Centrair (NGO) in Nagoya. All direct flights from America to Japan land in one of these three airports, which cover northern, southern and central Japan respectively.

Step 2

Fly into one of Japan's other international airports if you are traveling to your Japanese vacation from elsewhere in Asia, rather than from the United States. Japan has several secondary international airports, such as Fukuoka (FUK) and Niigata (KIJ), offering a host of air connections throughout East and Southeast Asia.

Step 3

Book passage on a ferry if you are traveling from China, the Russian Far East, South Korea or Taiwan. Kobe and Shimonoseki are common destination ports in Japan for sea ferries, but routes also arrive in Fushiki, Wakkanai, Fukuoka and Naha.

Tip

Ferries between Japan and Russia open for business in May or June and close in October.

Vladivostok in Russia and Qingdao, Shanghai and Tientsin in China are all cities with both rail service and sea ferry ports. From these locations, you can connect from train to ferry travel.

If you wish to base your vacation in Okinawa or include it in your itinerary, you must connect through mainland Japan first, unless you are in Taiwan. The sole direct international route to Okinawa is the ferry from Taiwan to the city of Naha.